FONTANA – The scene outside Kaiser High School on Saturday is a snapshot of what is happening with public education in California.

Students of drama at one end of the school were holding a car wash, hoping to raise money to fly to New York City, see some Broadway shows and talk to the stars to learn how they got to where they are.

“Acting is going to be our lives,” said Emily Miles, 16, a senior. “We need to find out about the next steps.”

While cars were being washed, the Kaiser High School jazz band played inside the courtyard at the opposite end of the campus. There were numerous booths surrounding the band.

Some people behind the tables were also in fundraising modes.

Todd Greer, secretary for the Catamount Pride Booster Club, which supports the Kaiser High School Band and Color Guard, was among those.

“Band uniforms are typically replaced every four or five years,” he said. But the Kaiser band has uniforms going on 12 years old, and booster club parents are frequently doing repairs,” he said.

The group is also responsible for repairing instruments, getting money together to pay for transportation to parades and entry frees for contests, he said.

“The band as a lot of expenses and the school district doesn’t have a lot in the budget to cover it,” he said.

Miguel Quinones, a member of the Fontana High School Booster’s group, was also there for similar reasons.

Where a few years ago, fundraising was something done several times a year, now it’s done several times a month, he said.

Some were there to give valuable information out to parents, such as Sara Petrone of West End Family Counseling Services.

Her organization has free classes explaining parent’s rights under special education laws.

These classes include a free book, worth $20, to all attendees, which beaks down the complex rules in language parents can understand, Petrone said.

“Knowledge is power,” she said.

Others were a bit of a hybrid, such as Beth Davidson representing the FLIP intervention program, which helps troubled students regain a sense of direction through a series of Saturday classes.

The program is a cooperative effort of the Fontana Unified School District Police and the Fontana Police Department, Davidson said.

Eduardo Navarro, 17, was there with Davidson, to give first-hand testimony about how the program works and helps.

“It teaches you to respect other people and to manage time and get things done,” he said. “It opened my eyes to what’s out there in the world.”

Davidson was looking get the word out about FLIP and also to snag some funding for the program.

The groups inside the Kaiser High courtyard were part of the inaugural event of Community Alliance for Fontana Students, a group organized to provide a fundraising platform for various school groups and information to parents.

“I was happy that the people who committed to being part of the supporting cast were there,” Brandy Segal, CAFFS chairwoman.

Turnout could have been stronger among the public, she said.

The next location will be higher visibility and more effort will be put into informing parents in the district about the event, she said.